


Coffee Beans

by cbxbiased (mayu280)



Category: IZ (Band)
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Uploaded on christmas day lol consider it a gift, actual coffee references here and there, coffee shop AU, coffee shop fluff, hyunsu is adorable ok, i did my coffee research ok, sfw, slow burn?, using iz's real names bc nobody else does lmao
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-12-26
Updated: 2018-12-26
Packaged: 2019-09-14 16:37:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,618
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16916442
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mayu280/pseuds/cbxbiased
Summary: Hyunjun wants a day out of the spotlight of idol life, and so he seeks his old friend's small coffee shop to spend the afternoon. What happens when one of the baristas falls in love with him, unknowing of his idol status?





	Coffee Beans

**Author's Note:**

> This was a social media AU I'd written for twitter, but after giving up on it I decided to revive it the way I know best! I hope you enjoy this, as much as IZ's music!!
> 
> If you're unfamiliar with the boys' real names, here's a heads-up (bc I'll be using those here):  
> -Jihoo = Im Sujong  
> -Woosu = Kim Minseok  
> -Hyunjun = Lee Hyunjun  
> -Junyoung = Lee Junyoung

Things at the café are always joyful, bright, and peaceful. The music that emanates from vinyl records is crisp and cool, the posters and memorabilia on the walls evoke nostalgia, and the drinks are warm and familiar, perfect for unwinding. These things make up the essence of Granulate Café.

Situated in a slightly obscure alley corner, deep in the heart of the city, Granulate Café is Sujong’s passion project that turned into his livelihood. He didn’t intend for it to become his main source of income and happiness, but it is what it is—a home away from home, a place to rest, or to focus, or to just enjoy yourself with good food and good company.

A niche group of people enjoy the “hidden” aspect of the café, the fact that it’s so deeply embedded in the city that you can’t even hear the disruptive noises from the street—cars, dogs barking, people talking… all far away enough to let you relax from the busy life. The café regularly fills up with about 10 to 15 people at its busiest, mostly students who seek a quiet and relaxing environment to unwind, hang out, or study. Some elderly folks with a sense of routine like to go there, too, and are often the first customers to fill up the cozy couches or vintage metal chairs in the morning.

Other people enjoy the core of it all—the coffee. Granulate’s baristas were nothing short of charming, delightful, and talented, all reflected upon the drinks they crafted. Every customer was satisfied with their work, delighted by their drinks and the wonderfully authentic flavors they harbored.

All in all, this coffee shop was the perfect happy place for the common folk, for the people whose lives were busy, but still looked for a moment to sit down and enjoy.

For this reason, Sujong was surprised to receive a text one night, which would notify him of a _very_ different entity wanting to enjoy the quality coffee and privacy that his humble café offered.

Before ever dreaming of opening a coffee shop and living the quiet life of a small business owner, Im Sujong had dreams of becoming a pop star. He entered (through much effort) a Performing Arts school in Seoul, and there he came to know many youngsters, much like himself, with dreams of being in the spotlight, performing for hundreds, thousands of fans, and capturing the hearts of many more. But, unfortunately, economic problems crept up on his family, and these dreams came to a painful halt.

However, Sujong’s mom offered him a simpler dream, and he took it. He grew to quite like it. This coffee shop became his new dream.

Sujong became friends with many people who now have made names for themselves in the entertainment industry, and while he’s still fond of them, none of them have the time or the means to get in contact with him like they used to.

Except for one of them.

Lee Hyunjun, Korea’s beloved rock-pop soloist, actor, and former high school classmate, had texted Sujong. Nowadays, he knew of Hyunjun through the media, and he knew that idol life was, for the lack of a better word, exhausting. Hyunjun confirmed that very notion instantly.

_“This life… it’s rough. I like it, but you know what’s rougher? The fans, the paparazzi, the nosy media… I heard your coffee shop is pretty calm. Can I go to your coffee shop? Just to have some peace and quiet for once.”_

What would Sujong do? Say no? He wasn’t that type of guy, and his empathy would never let him forsake an old friend.

_“Sure thing! We open up at 6 o’ clock sharp, Monday through Saturday. I’ll give you the address, so you can come over anytime.”_

 

* * *

 

 

Wishful, windy, and wonderful October. While big chains dedicated themselves to releasing pumpkin-flavored drinks, Minseok liked to spice things up with a little bit of cinnamon, and with his favorite leaf designs in foam. Yes, even if he was majoring in Music Education, he had a special soft spot for coffee, pastries, and things of the sort. He was a bit of a nerd for it, which definitely helped him land and keep his job.

With classes between late afternoon and early evening, he had the chance to show up bright and early to work at what could be his favorite place in the world: Granulate Café.

Sometimes, Minseok would have to open up shop before his boss, Sujong, got there himself. He didn’t mind, he _loved_ his job as barista at Granulate, and it seemed that the customers liked him too. Or maybe they liked his designs on micro foam? Either way, showing up early, with a cheerful attitude that helped him charm the customers, he enjoyed himself a lot.

It was roughly a quarter to 6 on a Monday, when Minseok found two customers waiting by the door of the coffee shop.

This was, to the young barista, an unexpected sight, since nobody was at the café first thing in the morning, let alone earlier. It was also weird to him that they were _two people._ Had they arrived together? One was a robust-looking man, arms crossed over his chest as he stared at Minseok expectantly. The other was a young-looking man, hands on his phone as he seemed to type into it. Maybe they were father and son? Could be, even if the older man didn’t quite look like a family man.

When the older man cleared his throat, both Minseok and the younger man snapped out of their thoughts, looking up at each other.

“Hi, good morning. Are you waiting to order?” Minseok asked politely.

The young man looked up at him. It was cold, his cheeks a little red against light skin, despite the mouth mask he wore. “Yeah, we are. I’m sorry for being here so early, but I thought my friend was going to be here to let us in.”

Suddenly, Minseok recalled last night. Sujong had texted their group chat—the one he made to communicate with the café employees—that they were to receive an old friend of his sometime this week as a customer, who wished to be as inconspicuous as possible. This had to be him, right?

“Oh! Are you Sujong-nim’s friend?” Minseok asked as he unlocked the door. “Yeah, he told us to expect you. He’ll be here any minute now, but do you want me to serve you in the meantime?”

The young man looked to his company, and once he got a reassuring nod, he nodded as well. “Thanks, we’d love to.”

The two customers followed Minseok into the coffee shop, who encouraged them to take a seat at one of their comfortable booths as he set up shop and got ready to serve them.

The young barista hurried into the cramped employee locker room and changed into his black slacks and white button-up, throwing a pink sweater-vest over it to keep warm. He tied up his apron and reached to the switch box, turning on all the lights and the heating. Grabbing a cloth and some cleaning spray, he made haste back to the front of the shop in order to clean the dust off his customer’s table and the counter where the register sat.

He found the older man on his phone, sitting at a corner booth all the way to the back of the room, while Sujong’s friend looked around at the shop. He scanned the walls,—full of classic rock posters and memorabilia—he scanned the vinyl record player, which sat on a meter-tall shelf that stored records, hooked up to a pair of large speakers, and finally, his eyes rested on a bookshelf that took up a whole wall, from which he took a book to scan a few pages.

Minseok cleared his throat and walked to their booth, spritzing the spray onto the wooden tabletop and wiping the dust away. He straightened up, smiling. “Ready to order?” He asked.

Sujong’s friend looked to him, putting the book back in the shelf. “Yeah, we are.”

He walked up to the counter, where the menu hung from 3 chalkboards, high above the register. He eyed the menu intently, then turned to Minseok as he appeared in front of him from behind the counter.

“Okay! Welcome to Granulate Café, your home away from home. What would you like to order today?”

Sujong’s friend chuckled. “Do you have to say that to everyone?”

Minseok grinned. “Gladly so, just like I have to tell you about our autumn specials! We have freshly-baked pumpkin pie, English muffins for breakfast, and croissants with regional seasonings. We also do any design on cream or micro foam onto your desired drinks for 50 cents extra!”

The young man’s eyes lit up with a laugh, and Minseok could tell he smiled brightly beneath his mask. “That all sounds good, but we’re here for something quick and simple. I’ll have a black decaf americano for my friend, and for me…” he looked down at the glass, refrigerated display, full of desserts and sandwiches. “An autumn leaf cookie with a flat white.”

Minseok typed his order into the register. “Would you like a special design on your coffee with cream?”

He considered it for a second, before nodding. “Sure, why not?”

Minseok beamed, excited to put to practice his favorite part of the job. “That’ll be seven-fifty.”

As the new customer looked for change in his wallet, Minseok finished up the receipt. “To who should I make this order?”

“Hyunjun,” he replied, handing Minseok the exact change.

Minseok nodded, handing him the receipt and stating, “I’ll go to your table when your order’s ready! In the meantime, please take a seat, borrow a book, and enjoy your stay!”

Hyunjun nodded, going back to the bookshelf for the book he’d seen.

Minseok went around to the front to put on an instrumental jazz record, his favorite for early mornings. After that, he went back behind the counter and busied himself with preparing the coffees.

As he brewed the americano and the espresso for the flat white, he heard the bell from the door ring, and Sujong’s familiar voice start to blend in with Hyunjun’s and his companion.

He caught glimpses of _“it’s been so long!”_ and _“you never change”,_ interspersed between laughs and inside jokes he didn’t really understand. It made him smile, though, as Sujong was a warm, kindhearted person, and his friend might be like that, too.

The door’s little bell rang again, and this time Minseok heard another voice come up from behind him shortly afterwards.

“’Sup, Min.”

Minseok, focused on his coffee cream drawing, only nodded, his tongue peeking out from his lips as a sign of concentration. When he finished, he straightened up and greeted his co-worker, friend, and roommate, Junyoung. “Hey, Jun! Where were you last night? You didn’t show up at all to the dorm.”

Junyoung chuckled, cleaning up the stainless-steel countertops of their prep station. “I stayed up too late practicing bass on campus. I forgot our room keys, so I crashed somewhere else.”

“Huh? You could’ve just called me or knocked loudly. You know I would’ve let you in.”

“True. But if I did, I wouldn’t have been able to grab McDonald’s on the way here.”

Junyoung grabbed a fry from his apron and ate it, smiling at Minseok and handing him one as well.

“Okay, Jun, I gotta get this order to Sujong-nim’s friends now. How does my cream art look?”

Junyoung judged the artful design on the coffee, which was a heart-shaped leaf enclosed in a crescent moon shape. “As cool as always.”

Minseok grinned. “Perfect.”

He headed over to the booth, eyes focused on the tray to make sure nothing was spilled. He served the table, focused on serving the drinks neatly. “Here’s your order, a black americano, and your flat white with a design.  Hope you enjoy!” He looked up at his boss and nodded. “Morning Sujong-nim.”

Sujong smiled at him, face beaming with the joy of reconnecting with old friends. Sujong was only a year older than Minseok, but after dropping out of high school due to financial struggles, his parents helped him build up his own business—the café he now ran. Minseok admired Sujong, in a way, as he too wanted to be young and successful.

“Hey, thanks for serving Hyunjun for me, Minseok.”

The young barista bowed slightly. “Of course, you know I’m glad to help.”

Hyunjun hummed, seeming to be pleasantly surprised. “Hey, this is coffee art is pretty good! Is that what you usually do?”

Minseok turned to answer, but he stopped short when he caught sight of his customer’s appearance.

Hyunjun had arrived very covered up, wearing a gray hoodie over a black cap that gave shade to his face, and a mouth mask that covered the rest. But now, having removed those layers, what showed up was a handsome face with exquisite, refined features, and a head of black hair stylishly brushed back enough to make a slight, comma-shaped loop round his forehead.

“Uh…” Minseok coughed into his fist, catching himself staring. He cleared his throat, embarrassed as he felt a warm blush wash over his cheeks. “Yeah, I um- I specialize in latte art. Hm.” He bowed again, shyly murmuring an _‘excuse me’,_ before hurrying to the back of the store, and into the bathroom.

Minseok sighed, pressing his back to the door and covering up his face in his hands. In these moments, he remembered how painfully, inescapably, and utterly _gay_ he was.

 

* * *

 

 

Hyunjun looked to his old friend, confused. “Is he… okay?”

Sujong bit his lip, unsure of what just happened. “I want to think so. Maybe he’s catching a cold? He did cough.”

Hyunjun shrugged it off, taking a sip of his coffee to get back into the conversation. “Well, looks like you’re doing well after high school, Sujong.”

“Not as well as you, Hyunjun. How’s that working out for you, by the way?”

Hyunjun’s bodyguard snorts, to which Hyunjun sinks back in his seat. “I mean… I have a pretty tight schedule, and I have to walk around everywhere with Mr. Wong, here. But it’s going well for, y’know, being a rookie in all this. At least they let me keep my dog.” He chuckled. “But yeah, it’s been rough. I barely have time for moments like these, you know? Just in and out of the studio, the practice room, the photoshoots, the music shows… nothing in between, really.”

His bodyguard spoke up, sipping from his americano happily. “I like this place, though, Hyunjun. It’s deep enough inside the concrete jungle to lose the paparazzi and fans _,_ but not so deep that we venture into a dangerous part of town.” The man looked out the window from between the beige blinds. “It’s hidden enough, and quiet. I think we could let you hang out here when it isn’t at peak hours, maybe even alone.”

Sujong raised an eyebrow at this. “Well, I’m very honored that you trust my establishment, Mr. Wong. We’ll try our best to give Hyunjun the best service we possibly can, without making the other customers aware of his identity.”

Mr. Wong nodded, taking another sip. “Very good. I like the sound of that.”

Hyunjun relaxed a little bit, the idea of being able to come back calming his paranoia. He glanced at the cute barista who had served him, walking out of the bathroom and murmuring to his coworker, occasionally glancing back to their table. “Yeah, I like the sound of that too. I kinda like it here.”

 


End file.
